Amherst’s Bubble Teas ranked: and the winner is…

It’s no secret that over the past decade bubble tea has taken over as one of the most popular drinks of this generation. Bubble tea cafes continue to pop up in surrounding towns, and Amherst alone has three bubble tea spots with Lime Red, Moge Tee, and Vivi Tea all competing for the label of the “best tea in town.” 

But why has this drink gained so much popularity and which place really does sell the best tea?

In the last few years, the bubble tea market has quickly risen to become a multibillion-dollar industry and is expected to grow to a 6.2 billion market within the next decade. But bubble tea has not always been this popular. 

Originally from Taiwan, bubble tea was created without the bubble part of it. A new love of cold tea was discovered in the 1980s and eventually adapted into bubble tea after Lui Han-chieh invented the concept of boba from sweet tapioca. From then on, tapioca pearls were incorporated into the famous cold teas in Taiwan.

Bubble tea quickly traveled beyond Taiwan, gaining its popularity in many countries. But the bubble tea industry now owes its rapid success to social media. As influencers began to post about the aesthetic drink, people grew anxious to try it for themselves. 

Additionally, the bubble tea industry has worked hard to cater directly to the customer. When ordering, there are a variety of options to choose from including: what kind of tea, toppings (boba, lychee jelly, fruit poppers, etc.), type of milk, the level of sweetness, and the amount of ice. The ability to order the drink to your own desires has grown the attraction of the drink to a wide audience. 

Obviously, bubble tea is popular enough in Amherst to maintain three different bubble tea businesses but which of the three is most worth trying?  In the hope of saving everyone’s time, I decided to find which place offers the best bang for your buck.

 Although this is my opinion only, I wanted to keep my reviews fair and tried what is considered to be one of the most popular bubble teas “taro milk tea” at each of the three cafes. 

Before beginning my reviews, I researched each place, learning that Moge Tee and Vivi Tea are national chains, while Lime Red is a Massachusetts franchise, maintaining stores in Boston, Northampton, and Amherst. 

In 2011, Lime Red was the only bubble tea in town and even with competitors joining the local market, it was known to have the best bubble tea. But recently, I have noticed that the quality seems to be going down a little as the price is going up. I ordered a small Taro Milk tea with tapioca and light ice which totaled $6.15. Taro tea is usually known for its unique purple color but when I received my tea, it was a gray shade.

Once I took my first sip, I realized how watered down the tea was. Not only making the taro flavor almost unrecognizable but also making the texture not as pleasant as a smooth milk tea should be. That being said, the size of the small was generous and the proportion of boba to tea was perfect. Additionally, the atmosphere is inviting with lots of tables, pretty music, and a quiet environment. 

Once again I ordered the same drink from Vivi Tea, which came to a total of $6.15. Immediately I noticed the color difference between ViVi tea’s taro and Lime Red’s. Vivi tea’s taro was a beautiful light purple. The sizing was quite similar to Lime Red, although the tea was much sweeter with a stronger taro flavor and a creamy base. The tapioca was softer than Lime Red’s and had a brown sugar flavor to it. 

Personally, I found this drink to be a bit too sweet but this was not taken into consideration with my rating because of the option to lower the sweetness level. There were lots of sitting options, many TVs, and even an arcade game. The smell was also wonderful and although some of the seating appeared a little messy, I would definitely recommend coming here to study or talk with friends. 

Finally, I headed over to Moge Tee. Once again I ordered the same drink. While waiting for it to be prepared, I realized how large of a space Moge Tee was. There were ample tables and even fish tanks. Unfortunately, no one was in the cafe so the space felt quite empty and seemed even slightly dirty. Moge Tee’s Taro Milk tea was the only one out of the three that was made from fresh taro. Taro teas are often made from a powder or syrup but Moge Tee makes it fresh. 

Since the tea is made from real taro, it was quite bitter and would have been unenjoyable if I had not gotten the brown sugar tapioca. The fresh taro also made the texture quite different as there was a pudding with chunks of taro around the edges of the cup. 

The price felt outrageous to me, coming in at $8.15, when the sizing was about the same if not slightly smaller than the other two places. Although I enjoyed the tapioca the most here, I did not enjoy the drink and wasn’t able to finish it. If I were to go back I would try a different tea. 

After reviewing all of them my final ratings come in with Lime Red as the winner, although the drink I tried for this review was not perfect. In past visits, I have been blown away by Lime Red tea. The boba is wonderful and it’s the cheapest and most comfortable atmosphere. 

Following close behind was Vivi Tea, with a similar price range and enjoyable atmosphere, along with delicious tea, with a slightly more commercial feel to the place.

Lastly coming in third place is Moge Tee. I enjoyed the boba here but unfortunately, the tea was not tasty and had an unpleasant consistency. The price was also too high for the sizing and when I stopped by, the atmosphere was desolate.

I hope this helped distinguish which place is worth trying and I encourage you to try them out for yourself!